1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of inhibiting aromatase by administering a novel imidazole derivative as an active ingredient.
2. Description of the Related Art
The recent development of pharmaceuticals and the advancement of medical techniques conquered many diseases. On the other hand, such treatment caused the depression in the immune systems. The depression became a major cause of the increase in patients susceptible to infection. These patients suffered at a high rate from deep-seated fungal diseases of opportunistic infections such as candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis. The measure to solve the problem became serious. Therefore, active research has been under way to develop drugs more superior than the conventional antifungal agents. For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-187464 discloses an azole derivative having a cyclohexanol ring and azole ring as basic structures. Such antifungal agents exhibit an antifungal activity by functioning on the cytochrome p450 in the fungus and inhibiting the production of ergosterol which is a constituent element of cell walls. Further, it is known that because the above antifungal agents function on the cytochrome p450, some of them exhibit an activity to inhibit aromatase [J. Med. Chem., 33 (11), 2933-2942 (1990)].
From the results of the research on azole derivatives having applicability to broader fields and exhibiting a more superior antimicrobial activity, the inventors of the present invention found a novel imidazole derivative which has a low toxicity, and which exhibits activity against many fungi, and activity to inhibit an aromatase. The present invention is based on the above findings.